Rick Santorum on Satan comments: 'I'm going to stay on message'

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Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is making news, but probably not the kind of news his campaign had been hoping for. On Wednesday (Feb. 22), a transcript of a 2009 speech given by Santorum surfaced online and in it Santorum is quoted as saying Satan is “attacking great American institutions.”

“Satan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition,” said Santorum in the speech.

On Wednesday, he defended his words, telling CNN, “I’m a person of faith. I believe in good in evil. If somehow or another because you’re a person of faith and you believe in good and evil is a disqualifier for president, we’re going to have a very small pool of candidates who can run for president.”

That answer passed muster with at least one conservative talker. Rush Limbaugh told his listeners it was a “good answer” and warned that anyone who doesn’t want to talk about good vs. evil is “out of touch with the vast majority of Americans.”

Santorum also says the comments are hardly relevant now almost three years later.

“These are questions that are not relevant to what’s being discussed in America today … If they want to dig up old speeches of me talking to religious groups they can go ahead and do so but I’m going to stay on message.”